The Anthem

[Greg from Chestertown]

Yea, we were talking about how we were raised with the free range parenting method. Mom would lock us out of the house. If we wanted a drink, we had to use the garden hose. We didn’t know it was 100, it was just hot out. We rode our bikes without helmets. The good old days.

[Hardpan]

Well, it was a truly magnificent concert, from start to end, and a true battle of endurance to keep up with the band's relentless pace. The sound in the hall was exceptionally fine, probably my favorite place to have seen a concert, will definitely return if possible. It was a pleasure to meet everyone last night in our nation's capitol. My favorite part of the night was Skip's ruthless Other One tease out of Truckin'. It sounded so sneaky and greasy, and the bass tone sounded so punchy and clear. I think if he actually kicked off The Other One in that theater, the place could have blasted into smithereens. The introduction to Playing in the Band was such a fantastic release after all that tension that was built up in the bass solo, especially after expecting a completely different release in The Other One, just masterful!!! Thank you to all for such a fun night.

Edited December 3, 2018 by Hardpan

[Greg from Chestertown]

So, we still have 6/10/73 to look forward to. My phone says I took 16, 818 steps yesterday. Dance marathon.

[LIkeEveryOne]

I’m nominating Izaacb for this year’s New Member of the year award, for correctly calling   the 6/9/73 show 

Please upvote this !!! 

[acududeman]

Terrific show last night.....I loved it!

Investing in loge seats was totally worth it...…..dance or sit, no problem.....plus insulation from the talkers and beer spillers.

Can't wait for next year! And yes, traffic and parking suck ass down at the Wharf.

[Weather Command]

Favorite show of the 8 I saw...this is why I do this!!!

[izaacb]

4 hours ago, LIkeEveryOne said:

I’m nominating Izaacb for this year’s New Member of the year award, for correctly calling   the 6/9/73 show 

Please upvote this !!! 

You're too kind! 😃

[Tea]

I have a penchant for going on and on about the arc of each song when reviewing shows.  They're fun for me to write since I get to relive the experience but maybe not nearly as much fun to read.  Short and sweet then......

 

I thought the band was at the top of their game and everyone was treated to an outstanding thrill ride!  The music always compels me to dance to try and physically channel it from start to finish.  That was no easy task given the length and song selection of the show - I think I got most all of the way through it although I HAD to pause for a minute during the middle of Sugar Mags.  My engine was bellowing smoke and dropping parts.

 

The performance by band and crew was truly sublime.  The vibe from the dancers kept me going all night - as soon as I would slow down, it seemed like everyone else was picking up my slack which just pushed me forward somehow.  I'll say this:  BillK522 is my fuc*in hero!  That dood had the dance-hammer down ALL nite long.  I'm certain a 3rd set at hyper-speed would've been no problem for him.   Next Level.

 

After-show was simply outstanding despite being over in the blink of an eye!  So nice to see old friends old and meet some new ones!  Great people just made it so very awesome!

 

Just as I said last year:  DSO is a world-class band who simply blew apart a world-class venue!  Feel very sore but very blessed!

 

 

[PoetryGirl]

I don’t ever mind your musings. 

[Greg from Chestertown]

Yea, billk522 kept me going also. He was the benchmark for endurance. He was drenched in sweat. So was I when we met, he gave me a huge hug! I do remember seeing him at other shows before.

[BillK522]

Blushing.

Dance like the its the last show you'll see.

Reflect the band's lifeforce.

 

Love you guys.

 

Praise DSO.

[Hardpan]

I gotta mention the lighting at the concert, given the recent discussion on the board. I thought it was perfect, not distracting or blinding at all, and complemented the music perfectly all night 🤩🤩

[Rude]

I thought the lighting was fantastic at the anthem. Note that it has house lights that are better than any venue I’ve seen so that goes a long way. What was weird was that the lights never hit me all night. Not sure I’ve ever seen a show where they didn’t rotate through the crowd and light us up at all. I like a little distraction and blinding. It makes you lose contact with reality for a short period. I get not wanting a beam on you for 60 seconds though. 

 

someone said before that the dead never did lights like that. They didn’t have robotic tech then either. They would have gone all out if they had the LED light tech of today. Deadco does a ridiculous light show and you are constantly being blinded. 

[gr8fulpair]

2 hours ago, BillK522 said:

Blushing.

Dance like the its the last show you'll see.

Reflect the band's lifeforce.

 

Love you guys.

 

Praise DSO.

 

Please tell me you were sore as shit yesterday. At least that'll make you seem more human. 😂

[Greg from Chestertown]

I thought the lights were fine. I was looking for the house lights during Truckin’ when they sing ‘sometimes the lights all shining on me’ like the dead used to do but it never happened. This is not a complaint. 

[PoetryGirl]

2 hours ago, Greg from Chestertown said:

. I was looking for the house lights during Truckin’ when they sing ‘sometimes the lights all shining on me’ like the dead used to 

 Ha! One memory burned into my psyche from first show ever. The Omni was aglow with thousands of smiling faces and moving arms. It began to suggest and reveal the relationship between the band and audience the Dead craved, a living one; I thought well this isn’t just any typical band. 

[Greg from Chestertown]

And with the house lights on, you see a sea of tye dyes moving and shaking like only we can, all smiles, beaming with happiness!!!!

[DaysBetween]

I've known this, for years and years, but it really it home Saturday at the Anthem.  DSO, no matter how they play on a given night (and it usually goes quite swimmingly), really just plain NAILS the sound, arrangements, and feel of the songs from whatever era it is diving into.  As an old cassette collector, I might appreciate that as much or maybe even more than how well they play.  Musically, it was 1973 at the Anthem.  Random notes: 5 beat BIODTL. Nobody's Fault and Other One teases in the Truckin jam, Lisa sounded amazing on China Doll, great transition right into Me & My Uncle right from Loser, and Rider had that perfect early 70's tempo and perfectly pleasant jam in it.  I was very happy with the filler tune - thank you Rob B - because it's my 15 year old daughter's favorite GD song, or at least 2nd behind Scarlet, maybe, and after the show announcement I say to her, "Ok here comes the Mr. Charlie, nyuk nyuk" in my most dad voice ever.  And then the Charlie drops.. and the smiles ensue.  

 

If anyone's got audience recordings, drop em on the archive, etree, or just lemme know where to get em!   Peace!

Edited December 4, 2018 by DaysBetween

[Tea]

That Eyes groove channeled ...music plays the band... perfectly!  The whole show was so good but that Eyes just galloped and grooved along so smoothly!  The bridge at the end kept alternating between dark/angry + happy/go lucky - not a note was wasted

[Greg from Chestertown]

I definitely noticed and totally enjoyed the China/rider jam being ‘73 appropriate. Couldn’t agree more, days between with how you describe the band nailing era proper sound and style. What they do is no small feat. (Little Feat?)

[BillK522]

Rest assured I was a zombie

battling the cramp monster

for the 24 hours after the show.

Sounds like you guys had a

Uber adventure on the way home.

No glitter ball though.

 

Praise DSO.

Edited December 4, 2018 by BillK522

[Greg from Chestertown]

Yup, I had to climb out of bed in the middle of my post show coma to walk off leg cramps. That’s the worst. 

[acududeman]

14 hours ago, Tea said:

That Eyes groove channeled ...music plays the band... perfectly!  The whole show was so good but that Eyes just galloped and grooved along so smoothly!  The bridge at the end kept alternating between dark/angry + happy/go lucky - not a note was wasted

 

Yes! Thanks for reminding me.....that Eyes was epic.....made for terrific dance groove.

[Hardpan]

Just got my recording of this show uploaded to the archive if anyone wants to listen to it: https://archive.org/details/dso2018-12-01.nak300.cp1.cp4.flac24

[Island Bro]

7 minutes ago, Hardpan said:

Just got my recording of this show uploaded to the archive if anyone wants to listen to it: https://archive.org/details/dso2018-12-01.nak300.cp1.cp4.flac24

 

Thanks so much for your recording efforts Hardpan!